To always & beyond
by NinaK.05
Summary: The morning after and what I expect season 5 to be like. Weekly updates! - For now, this is the title, but as for my other story, I expect suggestions, then, I'll change it.
1. Prologue

Chapter 1

She woke up to the beaming sunlight on her face and rubbed her eyes, before opening them. She knew it hadn't been a dream. She had spent the night with Richard Castle, her one and done.

Her head and hand rested on his bare chest. She could smell his cologne and feel his arm around her waist, holding her closer and keeping her warm. The sheets spread over them were keeping the heat in. After a cold rainy night, that was all she needed.

"Good morning, beautiful." he said, pressing a kiss on the top of her head and bringing her back from her thoughts.

"Morning, handsome". She lifted her head, her lips curving in a smile before kissing his soft ones. "How are you doing?"

"Never better... You worn me out last night, Ms. Beckett."

"Good to know!" she replied sarcastically.

"So..." he said, sitting up and bringing her with him, so her head could rest on his shoulder. "You wanna tell me about how you got all of those bruises?"

She looked up at him for a couple of minutes before explaining everything he had missed when he left. The strong lead, the rooftop fight with Maddox, the way she was hanging from it, the way she could only think about him, how she resigned, the swings, the way to his apartment in soaking clothes...

He stood there, listening, paying attention to every detail, though he wished to kill the son of a bitch who hit her, sympathizing, worrying, regreting leaving and not being there to save her. He knew from the look she gave him at the end, that she expected a reaction. He stood up, out of bed, picked her up, bridal style, her naked body against his, and led her to the bathroom. He sat her down on the edge of the tub. "I'll take care of you, Kate." he said, taking bandages out of the medicine cabinet.

Rick treated each and every bruise, kissing them after wrapping them up nicely with the bandage he'd picked up, which made her giggle. "I didn't know you were the giggling type, detective" he joked.

"I don't giggle." he gave her a daring look. "Oh, don't you dare, Richard Ca-"

He did. He tickled her, making her giggle and flinch. "CASTLE! Okay, okay. I giggle, I giggle!" As soon as he heard the magical words he stopped and kissed her.

"What would you like for breakfast, Kate?"

"Right now, I just. Want. You..." she kissed him. "But, for later, you can choose."

"Pancakes it is, then" he said, and led her back to bed. 


	2. Chapter 1

A couple of weeks had passed by since their first night together. Their relationship was still a secret, but they didn't plan to leave it that way for much longer. Rick and Kate had been planing on telling family first, then friends. Specially because they had no idea how Alexis would react. They didn't worry much about Martha and Jim, they knew they'd be thrilled, but Alexis... not so much.

They were sitting on the living room couch, at Rick's loft when Alexis walked in. She stared at the couple, wondering what the hell was going on. Rick had said that they were over, that he'd stop following Detective Beckett, that she'd broken his heart. What was she doing there, then? Why were they holding hands?

"Dad? Detective Beckett? What's going on here?" they were acting weird. Alexis worried it might be bad, but the look on their faces was soft, kind... happy.

"Well, Alexis. Kate and I have good news and we'd like to share them with you." he paused and looked at the extraordinary woman sitting by his side. She looked back, encouraging him to continue. "We've been seeing each other for 2 weeks now and it's kind of serious by now. We wanted you to be the first to know. There are no secrets anymore. She forgave me and I forgave her."

They watched Alexis, expecting a reaction. It took a while for her to organize and absorb all that information. Her father was dating the female detective, he's inspiration for Nikki Heat. The woman who had hurt his feelings, abandoned him for 3 whole months, who had lied to him, who had kept him waiting.

"Alexis?" they asked in unison.

"No way, dad. I can't believe your dating _her._ That's why you've been away most of the week? How can you keep doing this to yourself? _How can you?_ Does she even love you back? She is going to hurt you, dad. I can't stand watching you suffer... I-" She was crying by now, as she yelled at them. Rick and Kate had stood up by now. His arm around Kate's waist, not allowing her to run away, because he knew she wanted to.

"Rick, please, I have to leave. Right now, it just became a father-daughter conversation. I have to go anyway. Gates called me in today to sign the resignation papers, remember?" she said, trying to free herself from his arms.

"Okay. I'll be at your apartment at 8." he whispered, watching a few more tears stream down her face as she closed the loft door behind her. He needed to have that conversation with Alexis. She had the questions, he had the answwers. "Okay, Miss. Now, let's talk."

* * *

Kate had managed to stop crying half-way to the precinct. She knew Castle would handle everything, he was good with words. Besides, she couldn't show up with swollen red eyes at Gates office. She parked 94 Harley Softail a block from the precinct and applied some make-up before making her way to the meeting with Gates and Jeremiah Hastings, chief of detectives, on the homicide floor.

She knocked on the Captain's Office's door twice before entering. The two people inside stood up and greeted her. She wanted to ask about Ryan and Esposito. She hadn't seen either of them in the bull-pen and, by now, Espo's suspention was over.

"Have a sit, Ms. Beckett." Hastings said, before doing the same himself. "I heard you resigned."

"Yes, I did, sir."

"Is there a plausible reason for that? You're the best NYPD detective, you've never left one single case unsolved, or unfinished and yet you're resigning."

Beckett didn't answer, she knew her true reason wasn't going to be enough for him. He'd never understand. She didn't even know if she really wanted to resign, she did it without thinking. She thought that having no resources to look for her mother's killer, she's stop and so would Castle, and then she wouldn't be in danger anymore and she'd be able to try a steady relationship.

"Ms Beckett, did you hear what I just said?" Kate was drawn back from her thoughts by Gates question.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"If you're not sure about this, don't do it. You don't wanna regret it, give it a thought. You're a really special asset to the safety of this city."

"I won't go away, then. I'll stay, if I'm still welcome here, captain."

"Of course you are! You're my best! I knew you'd do it. Good decision, Beckett." Gates smiled._ Gosh, Gates smiled!_ "You still have suspention time, though, for not following my orders on your last case. But you can be back here in a couple of weeks and don't forget that plucky sidekick of yours."

"Wait, you want _Castle_ back?"

"He's... helpful. You can keep him." Kate grinned, Castle would be glad to hear about it. Gates was actually starting to like him. "Now, detective, head home and enjoy the free time. I'll see you in a few weeks."

As she left the precinct, Kate got a text message from Rick._ 'Talked to Alexis. Everything is okay now. Now, I believe it's time to tell the parents. Dinner, my place, at 9?'_

_'Sure, I'll talk to my dad and give you a call'_ she texted back and put her phone in her pocket, before driving away to her father's cabin. _'Better to talk to him face-to-face then over the phone'_ she thought. Besides, she needed someone understanding who would comfort her about the Alexis issue.


	3. Chapter 2

Jim rushed to the door when he heard knocking. He opened it and saw his daughter standing there, nervously, with her hands in her jacket's pockets, looking down at her feet. "Katie! It's great to see you! Why didn't you call to let me know you were coming? I could've -"

"Dad, I need to tell you something important." she said and grinned, lifting her head so she could look at him and let him know how happy she felt. He was concerned until he saw it. The glow in her eyes, the way she was blushing, the smile... His Katie was in love. But he wondered with whom it was."May I come in?"

"Absolutely, Katie." he opened the door wider and let her through. She sat down on the living room couch. She had so many memories from that cabin.

It was her grandfather's. She used to spend every summer there with him. He'd take her to the park, to Drake's magic shop, to Comicadia and ice-cream stands. When he passed away, the cabin was sort of abandoned until her mother died. Her father couldn't stand being in the apartment where they'd shared their lives, so he just moved back to where he grew up.

Her father sat down by her side, and took her hands in his. He was never good on making Kate open up, but he tried very hard to make her comfortable. This once, it actually worked.

"It's about Castle and I." she took a deep breath and continued. "We've been dating for the last two weeks and we're sort of making it official tonight. We don't want to keep it a secret anymore, except from the press, and we're letting family know first. Alexis was the first one, though she didn't take it so well. But, anyway, Rick has still got to tell Martha, so we were planning on having dinner tonight and we'd like you to be there."

"I'll be there, Katie. Just, tell me the time and I'll go." Jim was amazed by how his daughter's glowing, it actually made him glad. He'd always wanted them to get together. Rick was good for her and now she'd realized it too.

"Okay. You gotta be there by nine. That's when Martha is coming back from her rehearsal and we want both of you present when we annouce it."

He kissed his daughter's forehead. "I'll be there, Katie."

* * *

When she left her father's house, after telling him about letting go of her mother's case and giving him the Castles' address, she texted Rick, telling him everything had worked out fine and that she was heading to the loft, but she'd stop at her apartment to pick up some clothes for the next week.

The drive was slow. It was lunch time and apparently the whole city had decided to drive wherever. Kate pulled over, parking her car in her building's garage, a couple of hours after texting Rick. Too much time, even for New York. The elevator was broken, so she took the stairs to her third floor apartment.

While taking her keys out of her purse, still in the hallway, she noticed her door was cracked open. She tried to reach for her gun, but that just reminded her that she had resigned a couple of weeks before. Kate cursed under her breath and called Ryan, one of the few people she knew she could trust and was still on the job.

"Ryan" he said.

"Ryan, this is Beckett" she paused. "Kate. I, um... I'm at my apartment and the door is opened. I'm sure I didn't leave it that way. Could you send someone to check on it? I'm going in anyway. I know I'm not in the force anymore nor do I have a gun, but I need back-up!"

"Sure, Beckett. I'll send a unit. But don't go in there. Wait-" It was too late. She had already hung up and was on the move. She tiptoed into her apartment, clearing the living room, the office and the kitchen.

She heard a crash coming from her bedroom and she could see a silhouette moving around in the room. She could see the shadow, of whoever that was, that formed on the hardwood floor. She slowly approached the room. Standing by the bay window, she saw him. The guy who had thrown her off the roof, her sniper, Cole Maddox.

"Well, well, Katie. Looks like destiny chose this precious moment to reunite us again! I wasn't planning on meeting you today, I hoped to see you... later, according to_ His_ plans." she could see something in his hand. Something silver and shiny._ 'It's a gun!'_ she thought, not caring if she recognized the type or not.

Her phone rang in her purse but as she reached for it, he raised the gun so the barrel would be aiming to her stomach. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Katie._ He_ won't be very happy if I end you right now. _He_ was hoping for something... better, more painful."

"Who is_ he_?" she asked, desperately and heard the phone ring once more. Her hand was still inside the purse.

He didn't answer. Just gave her an evil grin.

Just as she pressed the call button to answer her phone, she heard a loud gunshot and felt a sharp pain on her stomach. She managed to say a couple of words "Get help" loud enough, before everything went black.

* * *

**A/N - I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm really sorry for the delay. I'll try to update more often!**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**-Nina K.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N - Hope you guys enjoy the new chapter!**

**-Nina K.**

* * *

Everything hurt. Every little inch of her body was in excrutiang pain.

She could feel hands, cold hands, on her forearms. She could feel herself being carried away on a gourney, into something that kept shaking. She felt nauseous in there. That same cold, heavy hands holding hers the whole time.

A bright light was held over her eyes, blinding her. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She couldn't think of anyone besides Rick.

She could feel her life leaving her body just like it had once before, after Montgomery's funeral. She could feel herself weaker and weaker.

A slight pinch on her arm made her feel even sleepier and just as she thought she'd reach the surface of her counciousness, her world became darker.

* * *

She woke up in a bright white room. She couldn't see very well and there was something in her throat and it bothered her. She tried to fight it, but as she did her heartbeat's speed increased and her blood pressure rose. The heart monitor went crazy, the beeping was loud and annoying. Why was she there?

Two women in scrubs entered the room and rushed to her side. One checked the monitor while the other tried to calm Kate down. "You're in the hospital, Ms. Beckett. You were shot. Calm down, we need you to calm down. The doctor is coming so we can take the tube out." she said softly.

Kate didn't calm down at all. She wanted Rick. She needed him there with her. She tried to tell the nurse that that's what she wanted, she tried to ask for him, but the damn tube didn't allow her to.

"Hey, don't try to talk, okay? There are people out there who would like to see and talk to you, but first we need to take that out." the nurse pointed her index finger at the tube.

Kate relaxed against the pillow, on the bed and tried to breathe normally, slowly bringing her heartbeat to a regular pace. The thought of having some of the people who cared about her waiting for her outside, to see her and make sure she was okay, filled her with gladness.

The doctor, a tall, blonde woman, came in and detached the tube. "Rick" Kate whispered to her, hoping it was enough for the woman to understand. Hopefully, she did. She gave Kate a sympathetic smile and left the room.

* * *

Rick had spent the last eight hours in the waiting room along with Jim, Martha, Alexis and Ryan. It had been Alexis on the phone when Kate got shot. She had called to make peace and apologize for what she had done in the morning, but now she was afraid Kate might die and never know.

When the doctor walked towards them, they stood up, nervously. "Mr. Beckett, you're daughter is awake and breathing on her own. When we removed the tube, she asked for Rick. Is that any of you?"

Rick raised a hand and the doctor guided him into Kate's room. She looked so small and fragile. Her torso was revolved in bandage, to protect her from an infection and a large stitched cut just above her eyebrow showed where she had hit her head during the fall. He wanted to cry at the sight of Kate, but he composed himself. He had to be strong for her.

"Rick" she whispered, her eyes glowing when she saw him rush to her side and hold her hand tightly in his. He kissed her hand, making sure she was really there.

"Kate, I thought I had lost you."

"Don't worry, kitten. You're stuck with me for a long, long time."

"I'll take your word on that" he joked and laughed, making her laugh too, but the pain struck hard and she bent forward. Rick was pretty damn worried about her well-being, but when he saw her fighting the pain, he was horrified._ "KATE!"_ he screamed as her eyes kept turning and not focusing on anything. He pressed the nurse call-button and in less then thirty seconds three women in scrubs came in and injected morphine in Kate's IV.

She drifted into sleep and Rick was told to leave the room. In the waiting room, Jim was pacing from side to side while Martha tried to convince Alexis to go home. Rick slowly approached them, staring at his feet.

"How's my daughter, Richard?"

"She's... I don't know, Jim. When I came in, she was up, but then she suddenly flinched in pain and blacked out. They sedated her just now." he cried.

"Don't worry. She's going to make it. My daughter is strong and she's happy with you around. I'm glad she has finally found someone who makes her smile and laugh and just be the same way she was before Johanna died."

"I'm glad to be that someone, sir."


	5. Chapter 4

Guys, I'm really sorry for the delay. This is quite bigger, comparing to the other posts on this story, as to make it up to all of you!

-Nina K.

* * *

Visitors were finally allowed in. Jim and Rick entered the room where Kate was staying. She was still asleep, but at least she seemed peaceful and didn't show any signs of being in pain. Jim sat down on the couch, trying to find a comfortable position as Rick sat on a chair, by Kate's bedside and held tightly onto her hand.

She could feel it. His hands, clasped in hers, weren't cold anymore, but she still recognized his touch. It's warmth was inviting. She felt tired, but she wanted to see him, not just feel him. She needed to look into those deep blue eyes, she needed to smell his scent.

She forced her eyelids opened. It was hard. 'God damn it! Why are they so heavy?' she thought, cursing to herself. She tried harder and opened them slowly, blinking the brightness away.

She couldn't feel any pain and felt a bit dizzy, she was sure she was on drugs, heavy drugs. Morphine, maybe?

Looking around the room, she saw her father, laying crooked on the couch by the door, fast asleep. Then, she saw Rick. His head rested on the bed, close to their clasped hands. He was also asleep, his mouth was slightly opened and he was drooling a bit.

She smiled at the scene, suppressing a laugh. She knew what had happened the last time.

She squeezed his hand weakly, but even that slight movement caused him to startle awake. He looked up at her and gave her a sleepy smile. Her own grew wider in response. "Hey, Castle."

"Hey, Kate. How are you feeling?"

"Groggy" she answered honestly. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"I remember pieces, but I need you to fill in the blanks, if you can. I remember going to my apartment to pick up some extra clothing and take it to the loft." he nodded, as if telling her to continue. "Maddox was there and he had a gun. He told me something, but I can't quite figured what that was."

Rick could sense her frustration. She wanted to know everything, probably in details. That was just the detective in her speaking. "What else, Kate?"

"A phone call? Yes, that's it. But he wouldn't let me answer it. He pulled the trigger just as I asked for help." she paused as the image became clear in her head. "Was it you on the phone?"

He shook his head. "No." she raised a brow at him, waiting for more information. "It was Alexis."

Her eyes went as wide as possible, almost jumping off her face. Alexis! 'Wasn't she mad at me? Why was she calling, then? Oh, my God! Alexis heard the shot! I can't even think of what must be going on in her head right now!' she thought, turning to look at Rick, who seemed to be listening to what she was thinking.

"She's... worried... about you. I sent her home and promised I would call as soon as you woke up, but she needs the rest, so I'll call her tomorrow morning." he looked down at his watch. "Or later today."

"What time is it?"

"It's a bit after 3am. Are you tired? You certainly look tired." she shrugged at his statement and leaned her head against the pillow. "And you couldn't look more beautiful."

"Liar!" she joked, smacking his shoulder.

"Just sleep, Kate. You'll need it. There are lots of people who want to see you and I bet they will all be here later."

She decided not to fight sleep. She really was tired, mostly because of the medication. "Okay, fine. I'll sleep, but can you lay here with me?" she asked shyly. She just felt so safe in his arms.

He just smiled and stood up, giving her some time to slide to the side, opening up some space for him to lay on. She snuggled up on his side, resting an arm across his stomach and her head on his chest, finally able to breathe in his scent as her stroke her hair.

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

* * *

When she woke up, Rick wasn't there. Instead, she was hugging an extra pillow, which he had placed there, hours earlier, so she wouldn't miss him. She could see some light coming in the room through the window even though the blinders were shut.

She groaned as she turned, to lay on her back. The pain in her torso increasing. Someone reached out for her. She could see the gray hair through the tears that were gathering in her eyes. "Dad?"

"Yes, Katie-Pie. It's me. How are you feeling, honey?"

"It hurts, daddy." she whispered. That was a bad sign. Kate hadn't called him daddy since she was 11, and for her to admit being in pain, it must be umbereable.

"I'll call a nurse." she just nodded.

The nurses didn't take long to come. They injected some more morphine in Kate's IV tube and she slept a couple more hours before Jim left and Rick came back.

She was still sleeping when he arrived. He had gone to the loft to take a shower and pack some clothes, tell his family the good news, that Kate had woken up, and pick Alexis up, because she wanted to see/talk to Kate.

He approached the bedside and, resting a hand over hers, he leaned over and kissed her forehead, moving his other hand to stroke her hair.

She smiled and tiredly opened her eyes. "Hey" she whispered, her eyes glowing at the sight of him.

"Hey. There's someone here who wants to see you."

"Alexis?" she guessed, still wondering why the girl had called the day of the shooting. Rick nodded and walked to the door signaling for the teenager to come in, before leaving.

Alexis walked in the room timidly, looking at her feet as she moved towards the bed. She risked looking up, worried that Kate might be mad, but, instead, faced kind eyes. Kate's forehead was still bandaged, but her torso was now covered by a gown.

"Hi, Alexis."

"Hi, Kate. I... I just wanted to say that I'm v-very, very sorry that I treated you like that, at the loft. You didn't deserve it, I was just so angry that I spit everything I thought about you this last year and I was so wrong... You needed the space and you couldn't give dad any hopes, otherwise it would hurt him even more."

Alexis spoke more to herself than to Kate, though the older woman kept nodding the whole time, understanding that the teenager had just realized how hard this whole situation between her and her father had been.

"It's okay."

"No, Kate. It's not okay. I shouldn't have said it all. If I hadn't, then you wouldn't have left and you wouldn't have gotten shot! It's all my fault!"

Kate sat up, even though it hurt. She grabbed Alexis' hands, bending over to make her look at her. "Alexis, listen to me. This is not your fault! It's not your fault! I would've gone to my apartment anyway. I had to pick up some clothes, so I could spend some more time with your father. I could've been worse! Your father could've been there with me, and thank God he wasn't! I'd hate to see him getting hurt because of me. This isn't your fault, it's Maddox's fault."

They were both crying. Alexis because of what Kate had just said, and Kate, in part for the conversation, in part for the pain.

Alexis nodded, showing Kate that she understood. Kate leaned back to the bed, gasping in pain. The teenager quickly stood up, not sure what to do. She opened her mouth, but shut it fast. She had no idea what to say, what to ask.

"I'm fine, Alexis. It's just that I put quite some pressure over the stitches. It's okay."

She nodded, sitting back down on the chair by the bed. "So... will you move to the loft and live with us?"

Kate hesitated for a moment, not sure what to say. She knew she'd need her space, but she wanted so badly to be accepted by the whole Castle/Rodgers family... "D-Do you want me to move in?" she asked stunned.

"I'd love that." she smiled. "And I bet dad would love that, too.


	6. Chapter 5

"Is this the last box?" Rick asked lifting another cardboard box full of Kate's belongings as she nodded. "Oh, thank God! You have too much stuff!"

"Really, Rick? If you don't want me to move in with you, I can stay here and you can bring all of the boxes back from the lobby and into my apartment. Oh, and don't forget, I'm still injured, so you'll have to put it all back in place." she teased as a grin spread over her face.

"Come on, Kate. I was joking." he pecked her lips. "Are you sure you packed everything you wanted?"

"Yeah. Everything I needed is already in the labelled boxes. The rest of the stuff goes either to a storage space or to donation."

"Okay, let's go then. Esposito, Ryan and Lanie are waiting downstairs. Lanie is taking us back and some of the boxes. The boys are taking the rest."

As Lanie drove away to Kate's new home, Rick held Kate tightly against his chest in the backseat. He kissed the crown of her head. "I can't believe you're out of that hospital... And finally moving in with me."

Kate looked up at him, smiling sweetly, and kissed him. She wanted to pour all of her emotions in it, though she was not sure of how she was feeling? Happy? No, it was more than that. Shiny? Maybe. She had used it to describe being drugged once while working undercover, and Castle was her drug. She had no idea what she'd do without him now that she had tasted him.

They broke away in an urge to breathe. "Wow" he said said to her, grinning.

"Wow indeed" she whispered back.

"Can't the two of you just wait a little bit 'til we get to the loft? Then you can get a room and have a make-out session." Lanie said from the front seat and the couple laughed.

The ride didn't take long and soon all the boxes were up in the loft. Their friends left right after the last box was placed on the ground, giving the couple some privacy.

Alexis and Martha weren't home. They had gone to the Hamptons after Kate was released, 4 days before. Alexis was looking forward to getting home, though, as she'd have an additional member to the family.

"Kate?" Castle yelled from the kitchen. "What would you like for lunch?"

She walked in the open-concept living room, towards the kitchen, wrapped in a white towel as she had just gotten out of the shower. "You." she answered sincerely.

"That's not an option, Katie. You still have to rest, but I promise you can have me soon."

She stared at him for quite some time and he worried something was wrong. "What, Kate? What's wrong?"

"You - You never called me Katie before." she stated, as if to be less incredulous.

"Oh, I'm sorry. If you don't want me to I-"

"I think it's sweet. Feel free to calm me Katie if you want to, Rick."

"Okay. Then, Katie, what would you like for lunch?"

"Whatever you'd like to cook for me, Mr. Castle." she teased and went back to the bedroom to find something to wear. She put on some sweatpants and one of Rick's shirts even though she had plenty and met him again, in the living room.

"I ordered chinese take-out" he told her as he sat on the couch and signaled for her to sit on his lap. She did as he asked and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, but her scar pulled and she flinched in pain. "Kate, you should take a pill. The doctor prescribed painkillers for a reason."

She nodded. "Okay. I'll take them."

"You're not going to try and persuade me not to drug you 'cause you can handle it?" she shook her head. "Good. I like this version of Kate Beckett. The one that shows me how she feels."

"Just another layer of the Beckett onion, Castle." she joked as she moved from his lap to the couch so he could stand up.

He gave her the pills and a glass of water. She drank them down and layed her head on his lap as he sat back down. He stroked her hair and she slowly dozed off.

* * *

Take-out arrived, but he didn't want to wake her up. He placed a blanket over her thin body and went to his office to work on his next book.

A couple of hours later, Kate stirred awake and missed Rick's warmth. She knew he hadn't been there with her, but had no idea where he might have been the whole time he wasn't there.

She stood up and swayed a little bit, feeling a bit dizzy. She looked around and didn't see him in the surrounding area, so it was either his bedroom and office or up-stairs.

As she entered the office, she found him sleeping in front of his computer. She approached him in order to wake him up, but stopped when she saw what was written on the screen. _"They say that dedicating a book is one of the most exquisite acts of love one can perform. I would argue that it is even more beautiful to dedicate this one to you, my beloved KB. Will you marry me?"_

* * *

__**A/N - Hope you guys enjoyed this new chapter. Please, review!**

**-Nina K.**


	7. Chapter 6

Kate didn't know what to do. She had no idea. Did she want to marry him? Yes. Did he want to? Clearly, yes. Was she ready? She didn't know, and that's what worried her. Not knowing if she was ready to take another step in their relationship.

Surely, Rick hadn't been planning on asking so soon. He was asking her through a book dedication. He was giving her the time to be okay with it, the three or four months she'd need to be ready without knowing.

She didn't know if she should wake him up and tell him she'd read it or wait until he woke up by himself or even if she should lie about it and prepare herself for when the book was released. No. Lying was not an option. She'd promised herself she wouldn't lie nor would she keep secrets from him anymore. She had to tell him, but she'd use the time he was asleep to think about what she should do.

Kate ended up falling asleep on the couch after half an hour and woke up to someone shaking her arm gently. She opened her eyes, slowly addapting to the light that filled the room and came across Rick's blue eyes. "Hey." she whispered.

"Hey, Katie. I'm sorry to wake you, but it's time for you to eat something and take some pills again."

"What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes with her fists.

"Almost six. Are you feeling any pain?"

"Not really, no. But I'm hungry, though. What's for dinner?"

"I was figuring take-out, but if you want I can cook something for you."

"Take-out is fine, Rick. Thank you." she pecked his lips and he helped her stand up before grabbing his phone to order in.

As soon as he had ordered italian take-out, Kate took her change to talk to him about the dedication. "Humm, Rick?"

"Yes?"

"I need to tell you something. It's important."

"What is it, Katie?" she bit her lip and shrugged. "Kate, you're worrying me!"

"IsawthededicationwhenIwalked inyourofficeandsawyousleepin g"

"Kate, you're going to have to repeat that slowly because I didn't get a thing."

"I saw the dedication when I walked in your office and saw you sleeping." When she saw the hurt look on his face, she continued, wanting to explain. "I was going to wake you up, 'cause it looked like you were in an uncomfortable position, but when I got closer, I saw what was written on the screen. I'm so sorry."

"Kate. You were not supposed to see it yet. I was supposed to wait more, until you were ready or at least seemed ready and -"

"I'm not finished, Rick." she pulled his hands in hers and brought him closer. "I have an answer for you."

"Y-y-you do?"

"Yes. Yes, I have an answer. Yes, I want to marry you. I want to be a part of your family, I want to feel whole again. I know we can do it and I just love you so much. I can't miss the chance to be yours forever as we promised. We promised 'always' to each other. I knew you meant it and I mean it too."

He picked her up off the ground in a tight hug and spun her around the living room, catching her lips with his. As soon as they broke apart, he ran in his office and came back with a small velvet jewelry box and as he opened it, Kate faced a discrete diamond ring, perfect for her.

He knelt in front of her and put it on her finger, before standing up to kiss her again.

"I love you so very,very much." she mumbled against his lips.

"I love you too, Katie. Always have, always will."

* * *

"Dad, I'm home!"

"Shush, Alexis. Kate is sleeping in our room. I made her take another pill and you know how sleepy she gets."

"Yeah, I know. But what's with you? Your eyes are glowing in a way I haven't seen in a long time and you have that smirk on your face. Spill it, dad. What's going on?"

"Kate and I are getting married."

"Oh, my god! You finally asked her! How was it?"

"Actually, I wrote a book dedication, but she saw it after I fell asleep in front of the computer screen. She told me she'd seen it and that she accepted and, now, here we are."

Alexis hugged her father. "I'm so proud of you! I love you, dad."

"Right back at you, Pumpkin."

"Lex, is that you?" they heard Kate say from inside the bedroom, as she came to meet them

"Yes, Kate. I'm home and I'm glad to hear about the news!" She hugged the older woman.

"Thanks. Have you eaten? Your father and I order italian and there are some left overs."

"I'm not hungry. I ate with JJ."

"Who's JJ?" Rick asked, fatherly.

"It's a girl, dad, relax. We share the dorm room on week days. She's from Miami."

"Oh." he said relieved. "Much better." Kate and Alexis laughed and the younger woman climbed the stairs to her room.

"I'm glad she's okay with it." Kate whispered by his ear as he embraced her in a hug.

"Me too, Katie." he pecked her lips. "Are you still tired?"

"Not really, but I missed you in bed and wanted to cuddle with you."

"Let's go to bed, then. We'll be more comfortable there." he picked her up off the ground, bridal style and carried her to bed.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N - I was finally able to do something about this story! Yey! So proud of myself right now. Hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!** =D

**-Nina K.**

* * *

He slowly stroke her arm as they layed there. He had something in his mind that he thought she might like.

"Kate, I've been thinking of something..."

"What is it?" she asked as she snuggled closer to him and wrapped her arm around his waist, resting her head on his chest.

"Would you like to go to the Hamptons? You're still on leave and I thought it be a nice place for you to be until you're one hundred per cent again."

"I'd love to go. I really want to see what you've done to that place."

"I bet you'll love it. I hope you do. Oh, and there's the beach! You're going to love the beach!" She nodded excitedly and buried her face in his chest. He kissed the top of her head, sweetly.

"I will, Rick. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

"All packed?"

"Yeah, Rick. I just need some help carrying it." she joked

In seconds he was by her side, taking the suitcase from her. "Oh, come on, Kate. It's not that heavy." he said sarcastically.

"Let's go, kitten. And don't complain."

"I've asked you not to call me kitten, Kate. We had a deal!"

"Well, _kitten_, if I remember correctly, I never agreed to anything." she teased, biting her bottom lip only because she knew it drove him crazy.

"God, you're such a tease, Katherine Beckett."

They put the suitcases in the trunk of Rick's SUBURBAN and entered the car. Kate would the one be responsible for the trip's playlist while he focused on driving, though it was pretty hard with her by his side.

She sang the lyrics as the songs from her Ipod playlist played in shuffle. She loved singing as much as she loved Rick, and it she loved him a lot. She caught him staring a few times. It was driving her crazy. She hated to be watched.

"What?" she finally asked, apparently his staring hadn't been as covert as he thought.

"Nothing" he quickly shook his head and patted the wheel.

"Castle, you're staring at me"

"Am not" he huffed childishly.

"Okay Castle, whatever you say" she sighed, rolling her eyes though there was a hint of a smile forming at the corner of her lips.

"I guess I still can't believe you're here, with me, going to the Hamptons..." he held out a hand for her and she reached for it, intertwining their fingers and resting them on her thigh.

"You better start believing it, Writer-Boy, 'cause I don't plan on leaving. Ever."

A while later, Kate fell asleep, resting her head on the window. He pulled over in the garage of his Hamptons mansions and went to the other side to help her out. She shook her, but when she didn't wake up right away, he decided to let her stay in her peaceful slumber and carried her up to the bedroom.

She wasn't heavy at all. She'd lost weight after the shooting, even though this last week she'd been supposed to have gained some. He put her on the bed and pulled the covers over her tiny frame, before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead and heading out to unload the trunk.

* * *

Kate didn't recognize her surroundings when she woke up, but she remembered the road trip, so she just figured this was one of the many legendary bedrooms of the Hamptons mansion. She was barefoot even though she didn't remember taking her shoes off.

She descended to what she figured was the living room. It was still bright outside, so, as they had left early in the morning, she hadn't been out for much. She wasn't hungry either, so it mustn't have been after 2.

The room was beautiful. Light, but not white, walls, darker furniture and hardwood floors. The fireplace was made of bricks and pictures of little Alexis playing on the beach with a much younger Castle hanged around it. She found herself giggling at the silly faces he made when the pictures were taken.

"I'm glad you like it." he said, and she turned around to find him on the doorway.

"I do. You were very handsome back then."

"Back then?" he frowned, approaching her so he could wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer.

"Yeah. Now you're ruggedly handsome."

She leaned for a kiss. It was slow at first, but soon gained intensity as he slipped his tongue past her soft parted lips. Her hands found their way to her hair as he continued to rub the small of her back under the piece of clothing. They only broke apart when the urge to breathe was unbearable.

"I love you, Kate."

"I love you too, Rick. So very, very much."

"Come on, let me show you around."

He dragged her through every single room. The kitchen was very much like the one they had at the loft, as well as the office, but the bedrooms were bigger, especially the master suite, which had a jacuzzi tub - for Kate's delight - plus an ordinary tub and a shower.

There was still one more room for him to show her, but he wanted it to be a surprise. He covered her eyes with her hands. "Do you trust me?" he whispered in her ear, sending goosebumps down her spine.

"Yeah." she whispered back and he guided her to the extra - but bigger - room of the mansion. He laughed to himself at the memory of 'Beauty and the Beast'. He was doing pretty much the same for his Belle.

"You ready?"

"Yeah." and with that he let his hands fall on his sides as he watched her reaction. The first thing was the jaw-dropping, then, the realization came and she spun in place glancing at the amount of bookshelves that covered the four walls of the room.  
"Rick! This is like paradise. I can't believe you have so many books! I can't believe you have your own library!" she squealed excitedly. That was a noise he had never expected to hear from Kate.

"I'm glad you like it." he said, honestly. And she jumped in his arms, throwing her own around his neck and kissing him deeply.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You're welcome, Kate." he kissed her again. "Now what do you say of going either to the pool outside or to the private beach before lunch?"


	9. Chapter 8

Kate looked at herself in the mirror, just to make sure the bikini Rick had bought her hid every single scar on her torso. It was sweet of him to not only be okay with them - even love them - but still understand and, most importantly, respect, that she wasn't.

The bikini was deep purple and achieved its purpouse, which made Kate extremely glad as she walked out of the bedroom to the deck that would lead their path to the private beach. Rick was wating for her outside, wearing nothing but blue trunks. He was carrying a bag with all the stuff they'd need and had a towel tossed over his left shoulder. He ran a hand through his messy brown hair. He just looked so damn sexy!

They walked together, side by side, their silence speaking for itself, as reached out a hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.

Soon, they reached the beach. Rick had been right. The view was to die for.

He placed the bag on the sand before setting down a couple of towels for them to lay on. He helped Kate with the sunscreen and they warmed up in the sun for a while. Kate had taken one of the books from Rick's library with her and, when she was done reading the first 5 chapters, she finally stood up and told Rick she was going in the water.

He went with her, not wanting to be without her, and, before she reached the water, he pulled her up in his arms and carried her bridal style. The water was warm, so he let her back on her feet, and it reached about half-way up her waist. He pulled her closer and she snuggled into his chest, lifting her head up as to touch her lips to his.

"You fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars. You make me forget about the world around me, and that's what makes you extraordinary, Katie."

She smiled sweetly at him. Oh, _that_ smile. The smile he loved, the smile that made his heart melt completely. He pressed his soft lips to hers once again. "I love you, Kate. So much." he whispered as he rested his forehead to hers.

"I love you more."

"There's no way you love me more!" he argued. Were they seriously going to argue about who loved the other more? "I love you infinity times infinity." he stated.

"I've heard that before... Where did you get it from?"

"A tv series I watch with Alexis from time to time. It's situated here, in the Hamptons. The main character reminds me of you a bit."

"Amanda Clarke/Emily Thorne reminds you of me? How is that, Mr. Castle?" she stepped away from him and crossed her arms, raising a brow at him.

"Well, she_ is_ trying to avenge her father the same way you did with your mother." he replied shyly.

"Yeah, except for the fact that I, Kate Beckett, actually follow and respect the laws of our country."

"Touché" he joked. "So... Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, a bit. What are we going to have for lunch?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. I can cook or we can order in. Which do you prefer Ms. Beckett?"

"Oh, Castle, I'm dying to see and taste your culinary skills." she teased.

* * *

He made her Eggplant and Chive All-Day Omelette, very popular Filipino nouvelle cuisine, as well in the Castle family. Kate loved it, she couldn't believe he cooked so well, but was never going to admit it.

While Kate napped, after taking her daily painkillers, Rick made some progress on the next Nikki Heat book - that should be called 'In Heat'. Later that day, about half-way through the afternoon, after Kate woke up, they cuddled on the couch to watch a couple of movies.

They ordered Chinese take-out for dinner and, when night came, Rick called Alexis, to let her know they were both great and having an amazing time.

As they watched one last movie, Kate fell asleep on his shoulder. He turned off the tv and carefully lifted and carried her to their bedroom, where he gently placed her on her side of the bed and tucked her in, before laying down next to her and, as well, drifting in a peaceful slumber.

* * *

**A/N - You guys are all so very sweet! I still can't believe the reviews and the PMs! I mostly get PMs and I'm really happy about it, it gets me all jumpy. So... I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'll be publishing some more again soon. Don't hesitate to review and PM! Thank you so very, very much for the responses!**

**-Nina K.**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N - Largest chapter on this story, so far. It's my way of making up to you guys for the delay. I had this idea while dreaming wide awake during Spanish class. Couldn't stop writing! Hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Don't hesitate to review!**

**-Nina K.**

* * *

Rick woke up to a cold and empty bed. It was weird. Kate usually slept through the whole night - unless she had one of those extremely bad nightmares, but he always knew when she did, because she tossed and turned, whimpered and screamed.

'Maybe she went to the bathroom' he thought, but after a long time waiting, he started to consider other possibilities.

He got worried and stood up, clearing each and every room of the house. Where the hell was she? It was a bit after 3am, there was no way she had gone out.

He climbed the stairs to the rooftop deck. She wasn't there either. He looked around and caught a glimpse of someone at the beach. He rushed out, thinking it might be Kate. Whoever that was, seemed to be out cold. He ran past the porch and followed the path to the beach. He actually found Kate, but it wasn't her laying there. Kate was knelt by a young girl, whose blonde hair was spread on the sand beneath her, her skin painfully blank under the light of the nearest pole.

"Is she okay? What happened?" Kate was startled by Rick's questions, she hadn't noticed him there.

"I don't know. I was on the porch, drawing, and then I noticed her and came here right away."

"Why were you drawing at three in the morning?"

"I couldn't sleep." she shrugged.

Kate sighed in relief when she found pulse. She tapped the girl's cheek lightly and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. The girl stirred a bit at Kate's touch and slowly opened her bright blue eyes. She looked dazedly at Kate, who smiled down at her. "Hi, sweety. My name's Kate. Can you tell me your name?"

"I'm Nora. What - What happened?"

"We don't know, sweety. We just found you here. How are you feeling?"

"I'm a bit dizzy. Wait, did you say we?" the girl, Nora, looked around and found Rick standing a couple feet away. "Oh, my God! You're Rick Castle." she turned back to Kate. "And you're Kate, Kate Beckett. Nikki Heat."

"You read my books? Aren't you a bit young?"

"I'm thirteen, I'm not stupid. And you're books are great by the way."

Kate helped her stand up slowly and she shook the sand of her clothes. "Thanks for your help, it was nice meeting the two of you, but I gotta get going." she spun around, but Kate's hand stopped.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine" she said and Kate knew the girl was one of hers. She was definitely not okay. She was rushing and still deadly pale. "I just have to get to Noel soon." Kate raised a brow, obviously not knowing who that was, so Nora explained. "He's my little brother. I promised him I'd be back in an hour and I have no idea what time is it. If he starts to worry, he'll move from our hiding place and -"

"Whoa, there! Hiding place? You guys are hiding? From whom? You know I'm a cop, right? I can help both of you." Kate said, disregarding the fact that she was on leave - but, anyway, she could get her friends at the 12th to help the kid.

The blondie stopped a minute and thought about it. Her favorite author and his muse were willing to help. She couldn't take care of her brother - and his needs - by herself and, it'd be nice to have somewhere to stay until it was all sorted out. "Okay." she said, barely above a whisper.

"Good." Kate approached and held both of the girl's hands in hers. "Now, take us to where your brother is."

* * *

Kate had not expected to see that.

As she walked along the shore, one hand clasped in Rick's and the other in Nora's, she spotted a camping tent. Nora quickly let go of Kate's hand and ran towards it.

She knelt in front of it and opened her arms widely. A cute, brow-haired 5-year-old in dinosaurs PJ's ran out of it and threw himself at her. "Nory, you here!"

"Yeah, baby boy. Sissy is here. Do you see those people over there?" she pointed her index finger at Kate and Rick, who stood nervously about a yard away. The kid nodded and smiled at his big sister, fisting her shirt as she lifted him of the ground. "They're going to help us, okay?"

"Okay." he buried his chubby face on the crook of her neck as she walked towards the couple.

On the walk back to Rick's house, little Noel risked looking up at the woman standing beside his sister. She was beautiful and looked nice. He had never met his mother, but daddy had said really bad things about her. He was afraid this lady would be the same way.

They reached the house at 4:30ish and, as Rick went upstairs to set the guest bedroom, Kate sat in the living room with both kids and tried to make the situation less awkward. The little boy would look up at her from time to time, but when he caught her looking back, he'd blush and bury his face in his sister's neck again.

"My dad drinks a lot. Mom died right after Noel was born and he blames him. He'd hit us sometimes, but we learned to stay out of his way when he got home with a bottle. Today, though, he was furious when he found Noel asleep on the couch and I... I couldn't let dad hit him. He'd kill Noel and not even remember doing it when he woke up, so I just took off."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I know what it feels like to see a parent in this kind of situation. I'll make sure he never gets close to either of you again, if that's what you want."

"See, little Noel? I told you she'd help us. Isn't it nice of her and Mr. Castle? They're letting us stay here tonight."

"Ms. Kate nice?"

"Yeah, baby boy. She's really nice, just like our mommy was. Dad used to say bad things, but they were not true. Mommy was really kind and pretty, just like Kate."

The kid smiled widely at his sister and turned to Kate as the smile grew. Then, he held his little arms up, for Kate to take him to her lap. She slowly reach up for his and held him close to her chest. She smiled down at him. "Hello, little Noel. It's very nice to meet you."

He smiled again, playing with a lock of her brown hair. "What colour is that, Noel?" Nora asked.

"It's brown, just like mine!" he replied excitedly.

"The room is ready!" Rick said coming down the stairs. He smiled at the view of Kate holding an infant in her arms. He wanted that with her. A son, or maybe even another daughter, maybe both. She was good with kids. He remembered very well the first time he saw her interact with a child. The Angela Candela case, little two-year-old 'kidnapped' by her aunt, just so her mother wouldn't share custody when getting a divorce. Than there was the kidnapping of a boy at Central Park...

Noel yawned loudly and rested his head on Kate's chest as he closed his eyes. "I guess it's time for bed, baby boy."

She took the 5-year-old to the guest bedroom and tucked him in, placing a soft kiss to his forehead. Rick handed Nora one of Kate's large T-shirts and she changed into it before sliding in bed beside her little brother. "Thank you Kate. Thank you Mr. Castle."

"No problem, kiddo." they said in unison and Rick continued. "And, call me Rick." the girl nodded and rested her head on the pillow as the couple closed the door.


	11. Chapter 10

**Guys,**

**what can I say? Author's block sucks. I had no idea what to do with this story, but this beautiful rainy morning in Rio inspired me somehow. After such a long time with no new chapters, here's a little treat for all of you.**

**Hope you enjoy.**

**Nina.**

* * *

Kate could not go back to sleep. She knew Rick had, but the thought of those young children having such an aggressive father as the girl had described made her sick. She had always thought that parents were supposed to love their kids and actually show them that. Her parents were that way with her, Rick was that way with Alexis...

She kept thinking about how to help them. She could contact Captain Gates, who surely would be touched by a case involving children. Yeah, that was the best she could do, besides support. And she had Rick, who would also make unbelievable efforts to assure that that father got what he deserved.

She heard faint crying coming from the other side of the door and looked at her father's watch on the bedside table. It was about 6a.m. Soon, the sun would be shining... She stood up and opened the door, coming to face a scared Noel. "Hey, baby boy, what's wrong?" she asked, kneeling down in front of him.

"I'm scared. Had a nightmare." the 5-year-old whispered and wrapped his little arms around her neck. "Can I stay with you?" a fat tears slid down his cheek as Kate lifted him off the ground.

"Of course you can! Are you hungry?" she felt the kid nod. "Come on, I'll make you breakfast downstairs."

She carried him, humming 'All the pretty little horses', all the way to the kitchen and placed him on the counter top. "So, Mr. Noel... What would you like to eat?"

"Is there cereal?"

Cereal? Seriously? Of all the things he could ask her he wants cereal? Well, there's probably some as Castle is such a man-child...

She searched the cabinets and found a box of Cheerios. She poured some milk and cereal on a bowl and handed it to him, who ate slowly, watching her move around and sit beside him. When he finished, he handed it back to her and she put it in the sink. She took him to the living room and they sat on the couch together. Well, technically, he sat on her lap, leaning on her chest as she ran a hand through his hair.

She started humming lullabies by his ear, trying to make him feel safe.

He wondered if his mommy was as nice as Kate when she was still alive. It made him sad that he would never get to meet her. Did Kate meet her mommy, or was she like him? He really, really wanted to ask, but didn't. He enjoyed the very little time he had with Kate until Rick interrupted them. "Morning, guys. What are the two of you doing up at this time?"

Noel cuddled further on Kate's side, trying to hide from Rick. She put an arm around him and kept stroking his hair protectively. "Noel had a nightmare. He was scared... and hungry, so I got him something to eat."

"Oh" he approached the arm of the couch and leaned to press his lips on her forehead before trying to talk to the little boy. "Hey, buddy. How are you doing?"

"I'm good." he mumbled and hid his face on Kate's arm.

"No need to be shy. I heard you had a nightmare, do you want to talk about it?" when the kid shook his head and sobbed loudly, Kate's eyes filled with tears, but before she could do anything, Rick beat her to it. "You know, talking about it used to help my little girl, Alexis. Well, she's not so little anymore, she's actually pretty tall and way older than you, but sometimes she has nightmares and when she talks about them, everything seems a lot better."

That got Noel's attention. Rick had a daughter and he spoke so nicely of her. 'She must be a nice kid and do nothing bad' he thought. "Where is 'Lexis?"

"I told you she was older now, didn't I? She's in college, studying Forensics in Columbia."

"She's that big?" the kid asked with wide eyes and Kate chuckled. Rick knew how to deal with kids, he had gotten the little boy all interested in the subject.

"Yeah, buddy. And you're going to be big too, you know. Probably bigger than I am." the kid's eyes grew wide and he looked from Rick to Kate and then back to Rick, his smile growing.

"Picture?"

"Yeah, there are pictures all over the house. Come on, I'll show you." the kid threw his arms up and Rick picked him up, winking at Kate before disappearing down the hall.

Kate decided to go check on Nora, if the boy was up, maybe she was as well, but afraid to come out of the bedroom and wake someone up. She was wrong, though. Nora was still sleeping peacefully as she walked in the bedroom. Her blonde hair splayed over the pillow and her mouth a bit open - so cute. She glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table, it was already 7.

She watched as the girl stirred in bed and reminded herself of how creepy it was to wake up to someone staring at you, so she walked out of the bedroom and sat back in the living room, waiting for the boys to finish looking at the pictures displayed across the house.

"Morning, Kate." she heard Nora say as she descended the stairs yawning.

"Morning. How are you doing today?"

"I'm good. A bit tired. Have you seen Noel? He's not in bed and I'm kinda worried."

"Oh, little Noel is with Castle, walking around the house and checking Alexis' pictures."

"Alexis?" the blonde asked confused.

"Yeah, Castle's daughter. She's 18."

"And Noel is with Mr. Castle, I mean, Rick?" Kate nodded. "H-How... How did he do it?"

"Rick or Noel?"

"Noel. Rick. Both? I don't know... It's just that, Noel doesn't usually trust other people. I get it that he likes you, Kate, but like both of you? Especially Rick, who is a new male figure in his life? I don't get it... He is never like this."

"Rick seemed pretty shaken up yesterday, but he is a father and he knows exactly what to do to get little Noel to feel more comfy. He's great with Alexis, has always been, and he's good with Noel too."

"I'm glad." she smiled and sat beside Kate. "Um, Kate... Do you think Rick's daughter left some clothes here, that I could borrow? I didn't bring any with me and I really need a shower."

"I don't know, sweetheart." she heard voices coming from the hallway. " But here they come. Why don't you ask Rick? We can even get little Noel some clothes as well."

"Ask me what?" Rick said from the end of the hallway.

"I asked Kate if your daughter had left any clothes here that I could borrow."

"Oh, Alexis definitely did. I have some that don't fit her anymore and would probably fit you, just let me get them." he put Noel on the ground and he ran quickly to Kate's lap, throwing himself on her.

"Careful there, Mr. I don't want you to fall off and get hurt."

The kid just smiled at her and hugged her tightly before telling his sister. "'Lexis is pretty! She got red hair and blue eyes like Rick's. Rick showed me a picture of when she was little and they were building sand castles on the beach! I want to build sand castles too... Can we?"

"I don't know how to build them, Noel. And we'll have to get going soon."

"No go!" Noel yelled. "I don't wanna!" He pushed himself off Kate's lap and ran outside. Both were taken aback, extremely surprised. Kate stood up and told Nora to stay put. She ran to the porch, scanning the property 180° as she looked for some sign of him. She couldn't hear anything other than the ocean straight ahead. No steps, no crying, no nothing.

"Noel!" she yelled trying to get some kind of answer as she walked down the very few steps. She, then, took sight of the pool. Damn, the pool. She could see him there, sitting at the edge, kicking his legs in the water furiously. "Noel, get out of the water, it's cold and you'll get sick."

The kid obeyed, though he didn't want to, but, as he was standing back up to walk to Kate, he slipped and fell, hitting his head on the edge in the process. The pool was too far away for her to reach him quick enough, although she ran as fast as she could. She didn't even think before throwing herself in the water, trying to get him out.

His limb little body was floating in the middle of the pool. She swam to him and lifted his head out of the water, trying to clear his airways. He was still breathing, thank God. By then, Rick and Nora were running towards them. She could hear Rick screaming her name and Nora crying out Noel's, but she didn't reply. All she wanted - and had - to do was get him out of the water.

She pushed him up and layed him on the edge of the pool before lifting herself up. She tapped his chubby face a few times, but nothing changed. She tried to apply some pressure over his abdomen in order to expel the water. She was grateful when he coughed it all out.

She hugged him as she cried. She could feel Rick's hand on her shoulder as she whispered kind words in the boys ear. They took him inside, not considering it necessary to call EMTs. She gave the boy a nice warm bath as Rick went out with Nora to buy him - and her - some clothes. Then, she dressed him up and Rick made a nest in the couch, where she layed him down.

"You really care a lot, don't you, Kate?" Nora asked, touching the older woman's arm as they watched Noel, who was sleeping peacefully.

"I do. I barely know you and I still care a lot... You don't have to go, you know? I promised I'd help and I will. You can both come home with us and I'll have my captain work it out."

"Thank you." the girl said and finally showed some affection towards Kate, by hugging her.


End file.
